(Click on photos to enlarge.)
This was back in 1983. My boyfriend wanted to
dive really bad, but I was content to snorkel. He begged me to try diving. The guide gave
us a tank, strapped to a backpack, told us to walk in and breathe through the regulator. I
think I remember something about "holding your nose and blowing" (now I know
that's to equalize your ears), but basically, we were on our own. The "teacher"
(and I use the term loosely), didn't even dive with us. 
Well, I went down for about 15 minutes,
scared to death, breathing that air out of the tank like there was no tomorrow. My
boyfriend was having a great time. In fact, he forgot about me, and was lost to the ocean
and its wonders. I, personally, wondered why anyone would want to do this sport! What if
the regulator quit? What if I couldn't get to the surface before my air ran out? What if I
got into some fire coral? Forget it!!
That was my first experience. And in spite of
it, I was talked into taking a scuba course by that same boyfriend. I couldn't keep up
with the other students and almost dropped out. I had problems clearing my mask,
establishing buoyancy control, and simply swimming in those old heavy Scubapro jet
fins! 
We went for our open
water certification dives in Honduras. We had to do a backward roll entry off a 65 ft.
boat (that was about 6 feet down to the water), then drop down to 50 ft. The water was
clear, so I didn't know it was 50 ft. until I looked at my depth gauge. At that point I
started hyperventilating, and my dive was almost over before I completed my skills!
If someone had read a crystal ball and told
me that I'd be an instructor within 5 years, I would have called their bluff! But, I would
have lost the bet. I am now an instructor, and have taught thousands of people, many of
which were just like me in the beginning. We now have a wonderful program,
sanctioned by all the major diving
organizations, that lets a beginner try scuba diving under controlled
conditions, with the supervision of an instructor. You dive off the beach, not drop down
to 50 feet, unprepared. You learn all the rules, and practice them in the safety of a
pool. No more scary, "What if this goes wrong?"--you've got someone to take care
of you all the way!
However, getting back to the first dive,
although I was terrified, I was in awe of the fish swimming around me. A big-eyed jack
swam close enough to touch. I saw a barracuda, and remembered all the scary stories. My
heart started to race! "Please don't eat me!" I prayed. (Later, I found out that
barracuda aren't really dangerous at all--although I don't think I will ever
feed one!) 
I saw a
green moray eel, whose head was bigger than my thigh. He looked
menacing, but I later learned that he is not really trying to bite you, he's just
breathing. I saw an octopus--just a little one--and was fascinated to learn that he
changed colors and squirted ink. In every coral head there was another surprise! Hawkfish,
blennys, juvenile angelfish and damselfish, tiny arrow crabs, brittle
stars--don't forget to look close!
Other
smal fishes and crabs that I didn't know the
names for. Sea cucumbers that moved so slowly I thought they weren't really an animal at
all. Sea stars, some 
species
at a slow crawl, and others rapidly getting out of the light to hide under a rock. Even
the sand held wonders. I saw rays, guitar fish, sand eels, and a crazy fish they call the
razorback, who, when threatened, can dive into the sand and swim through it! 
There's even
a slippery little guy--called a
snake eel--that feeds on all the tiny critters on the bottom. If threatened, he starts
digging a hole in the sand with his tail, and slowly submerges until you can no longer
find him! He's docile, and not at all intimidated by divers, which is a
good thing, because he's fascinating to watch, and divers hover over him to see
what he'll do next.
And what about the sounds? Have you passed
close by a coral reef and heard the sound of "crackling bacon"? That's all the
little coral animals chewing and eating! Dolphins click and sing! The waves crash and you
hear the sound and feel the surge. When you dive close to a pebble beach, you'll
hear the rocks rolling in the surf.
Some things you'd pass by unless they were pointed out. I was fascinated
when my instructor showed me these marvelous little worms called "Christmas
Trees," and "Feather Dusters." They come in all colors, and when you get
close to them, they retract their plumage and disappear into their hard shell.
When the "threat" is over, they come out again--to feed on the
organisms in the water.
Some of the events that have happened to me
since I've been diving are unforgettable. Have your ever let a 400 lb. turtle pull you along? Have you gripped the
rough skin of a giant Pacific manta and taken a ride? Did you ever watch a whale shark
feeding on krill? Have you held an octopus in your hand? Have you watched dolphins at play
and listened to their haunting song?
That
first time underwater, being in awe of all the amazing things, got me to take a real scuba
course. It changed my life and now I'm an instructor. I'm still in awe of the ocean and
its wonders. Now, as I turn others on to the sights and sounds that have given me pleasure
for more than 19 years, I flash back to what it was like in the beginning. They call me
Mother Ocean now, but 25 years ago they called me "chicken."Go back to the home page of www.divemanzanillo.com
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